The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-01-06
TARIFF.
RAvENNA, Dec. 3lst, |

time there is much said about tariff.
and tariff reform. Every M an is will
ing to have some opinion on the ques.
ton and some roll the word "pro-
lection" through their minds, as a
sweet morsel under the tongue. And
yet how little do we know of this sub
ject, L haye great confidence in the
Intelligence of the American people,
and yet | do not believe one in ten of
them have any reasonable kDowl ledge
of the tariff question, and have some.
times thought that the more we studied
the less we thought we knew about it.
l will give some thoughts on the sub
jeet, subject to reconsideration and
correction.
Tariff is tax by government
imposed on goods and commodities
imported from foreign countries This
tax, which the government takes by
compulsion, is added to the. price of
the article, and it must be paid by
every citizen who purchases the goods.
If the same kind of goods are manu-
factured in our own country, the like
amount of price as the tariff is added
to the price of the home made goods,
for the benefit of the manufacturer.
This is called protection. Then there
is another and higher degree of pro-
lection that is, where the government
places tariff or duty so high on a for
eign article as to wholly exclude it
from our country, or in other words to
prohibit its importation. This gives
our home manufacturers q chance to
pool their business, and charge US
what they please for the goods. This
Is prehibitory tariff, and is exactly
what is meant by protective tariff
Our government has no constitu
tional authority to impose any tax, or
tariff for the benefit of any individual,
or for any syndicate or monopoly.
The government has no constitutional
right to impose such tax for Public
PURPOSES"
The Federal Supreme Court IRE
publican) i'll 1874, decided that "Public
purpose, was such as was for carving
on the government in its various ma
chinery and operations" This being
so, and it is correct in principal. with
out the aid of the decision, then the
government has no right to impose
duty or tariff for any other purpose.
No one can deny this. Then what
right has a government to make, or to
continue tariff system which draws
from our people 100000, 600 a year
more than our government needs
simply to pile it up in the Treasury,
where it does nothing, earns nothing.
This is uDjustifiabie robbery. This is
the condition of our present tariff
system. This immense amount of
money, under our present tariff laws,
has beer drawn, little by little. from
US all and it might as we'll be in the
I bottom of the sea as to be where it is.
for all the good it ia doing us there. 1t
is so much money shut up, retired and
1t lies there, the tempter of rogues,
jobbers, frauds and thieves. Is such a
tariff system what we need, what We
want? Amy honest man will answer
with All emphatic, No!
Again, brand it as robbery. Oh.
well, some one says, you want free
trade. Well, do not, in the sense
commonly understood. The term
" Free trade" has well def ned mean. =.
ing among those better posted on the
tariff question. 1t is the denial of the
right OF free government to arbitra-
rlly take from any person any portion
of the productions of his labor for the
benefit of some other man, who has
not earned or paid for it. Now, kind
reader, call you say this doctrine is
wrong. ., you say, it means more,
Well, We will state it as strongly as
you can, and hear your opinion. Free
trade is the right of every man TO freely
exchange the products of his labor in
such q way as seems to him most ad
vantageous. subject only to such re-
strictiOns rs the government may find
necessary to make for the purposes of
revenue, or for sanitary aud moral
considerations. These are the true
and correct definitions, what say you,
Is it bad doctrine?
But see I have taken up subject a
glance at which, even in my feeble
way, requires more time and space
than can be given it now, so 1 will
try to continue it in your next.
S. d. N.